Hawkeyes Knock Out Knights - Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics - Officiel atletikhjemmeside

IOWA CITY, Iowa - No. 2 Iowa (27-6) defeated No. 15 FDU (30-5) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Iowa City, 58-48.Jan Jensen picked up his 50th career win as the Hawkeyes coach, the most of any coach in program history in his first two seasons.

"I'm very happy that we found a way to win," said coach Jan Jensen."I told the players that there is no time when the phrase 'survive and thrive' is truer than in March, Credit FDU. They are spry. Small ball teams can do a lot of damage with these three. We did what we had to do, I'm very happy and proud of our team."

Sophomore Ava Heiden led Iowa (11-16) with 29 points.Hyden also had seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.Senior Hannah Stuelke had a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 16 points.

The Hawkeyes shined. After buckets by both teams, Iowa went on a 10-0 run, forcing FDU to call a timeout. The Hawkeyes rained down six scoreless drives on the Knights before hitting four straight 3-pointers. Iowa ended the quarter up 20-17.

Iowa State put up a defensive battle in the second quarter.The Hawkeyes held FDU to just 11.1 percent from the field in the first five-and-a-half minutes.Iowa State pulled down 14 rebounds and forced four turnovers on the quarter.Stuelke had six points and six rebounds to help the Hawkeyes lead 27-26 at halftime.

The third quarter brought some momentum to the Hawkeyes.Iowa forced the FDU timeout after an 8-0 run with all goals scored.Both teams fought collectively as the match progressed.The Hawkeyes took a narrow 35-33 lead.

Heiden led the fourth quarter push with 15 points (4 of 6) and three rebounds.The Hawkeyes scored seven points on three FDU turnovers.Iowa held the Knights to scoring in the final three minutes of the game, shooting just 35.3 percent from the field.The Hawkeyes beat FDU 58-48.